Alliance
by victorialexington
Summary: The world knows of the existence of wolfbloods, but not who they all are. In an attempt to keep their secrets and families safe, tame and wild wolfbloods go back to the ancient traditions to ensure their survival. AU
1. Prologue: The Great Revelation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Prologue: The Great Revelation

"...and all members of the figure skating team have since recovered from food poisoning," reporter Sharon Epstein droned on, as her producer ran into the room, waving around paper and motioning for her to read from the teleprompter.

For the first time in 20 years, Sharon Epstein found herself staring in shock at the teleprompter. There was silence on-the-air for a least a minute before she heard someone say, "Is this for real?"

It took her a moment to realize that it was her own voice, before snapping out of her daze and with a dry mouth she began to read aloud as footage from a news conference earlier that day played on a continuous loop.

"This just in, we have breaking news coverage of the existence of werewolves, who call themselves wolfbloods. Just an hour earlier, five of these self-proclaimed wolfbloods came out to the world at a news conference in London, transforming themselves from wolves into humans. Already there is a mixed public outcry asking if they are dangerous, is this is just merely a hoax or government conspiracy, and if these events true: are we safe? Already there is a group organizing to demand that a census of these alleged wolfbloods be made and for all wolfbloods to come forward and be known. Many of the public want to institute nationwide testing to find out who these wolfbloods are and to make a public registry. More information to follow on this breaking story after the break."

/

In the months that followed since the event, which would be known as the "revelation" wolfbloods around the world found themselves to be the targets of media attention, medical and government curiosity and targets of anti-wolfblood hate groups.

For the first time in centuries, wolfbloods of each nation convened together in a council to put to a vote what would be their next step. Many wolfbloods decided to retreat back into the wild to wait out and avoid the inevitable human confrontations. Other wolfbloods decided to create their own organizations to protect themselves against the humans physically and legally.

The council of the wolfbloods of Northumbria was held on a summer evening in early September. This area had long been the ancestral home of wild and tame wolfbloods alike, but not since the days of the Norman invasions had such a council been held. Over 50 representatives were there representing their various clans and packs. The tension was high and snarls and muttered curses were part of the ambient sound. While no one dared to come in wolf form, for fear of being discovered, many of the participants had the telltale black veins and flashing yellow eyes visible.

"If you would all be settled, I believe it is time to begin," spoke a male elder, who looked as if he once was an investment broker, but now couldn't remember how to button his sweater properly anymore.

"No sense in waiting for those who are not brave enough to show their faces," gripped Alric, a wild wolfblood alpha.

"I don't think it's fair to judge anyone for not being here. These are a dangerous time, Alric," said the elder.

"I'll judge anyone I please for being too cowardly to come and protect our ancient blood-right, Lugos," Alric stepping forward as he spoke, towering over the elder Lugos. Lugos did not back down, but let yellow bleed slowly into his eyes.

"I think the larger matter at hand is will we join those of our kind who have stepped forward to reveal themselves as wolfblood or will we remain hidden?" said Lorelei, a middle-aged librarian. Alric sneered down at her as the representatives that stood around them spoke amongst themselves divided.

"Is there even a decision before us? We must protect the secret as we always have," Alric said. A young tame wolfblood, Jeremiah stepped forward taking his beanie hat off.

"The secret is out. Why should we hide in fear any longer? The world is changing-" Alric cutoff, Jeremiah by squeezing his hand around his throat.

"They will hunt us DOWN!" Alric's voice rose with each word before he threw Jeremiah away from him on the ground. Jeremiah sputtered trying to catch his breath.

"The humans have not changed. They still fear us. Want to kill us," Alric snarled.

"I think it is time we have a show of hands who believe we should remain and those who believe we join the human world. Those for?" Lugos asked as a few hands went up, but the obvious majority was opposed. Alric smiled a toothy grin.

"Good. Now that everyone is thinking clearly we must-"

"I do not think the matter is that simple. We all want to be safe. Our families and our packs. We need to find a way to unite and protect each other. Only by living in both worlds, will we be able to protect ourselves," interrupted Lorelei.

"Go back to the old ways," someone said from the crowd.

"Old laws. Moon Law!" came another cry.

And with that came a loud chorus of "Moon Law!" from the crowd. Alric turned around in a circle, observing lazily.

"Moon law is not something to take lightly. It is harsh and unbending. It is only been at great times of peril that we use it, to protect our kind and our bloodline," Lugos said.

"We wild wolfbloods know the law, old man and do not fear it as we live still by it," Alric said before looking at the tame wolfbloods standing at one side of the circle, "but maybe those that are tame can no longer." Emma Smith stepped forward eyes pure yellow.

"Do not presume to comment on the way we live," Emma snarled, her mate Daniel putting an arm on her shoulder to prevent her from stepping further into the circle of wolfbloods.

"Do not be foolish to think we are so tame. We keep the secret vigilantly as do all wolfbloods," Daniel spoke as many of the tame wolfbloods nodded in agreement.

"Then it is good we can all agree that survival is key and that it is paramount we unite to prevent our destruction," Lorelei said.

All the wolfbloods nodded and then the great vow was spoken to uphold and live by the ancient laws of the moon and elders from each pack were called forward to bind the vow in familial blood.

"It is important that we all hold each other accountable: wild and tame wolfblood alike. For now, we can now longer be separate but must be wolfblood. We all must be able to live in both worlds and those who have been tame must learn to rejoin the wild," Logus said solemnly. Alric smirked at Emma who stood as the alpha of her pack and bared her fangs back at him. Logus turned his head and looked straight at Alric, "and those who are wild must learn control, tolerance and tame their inner beast."

Alric was about to protest, but Logus held up his hand and Alric shut his mouth with an audible click.

"These matches made today, will cause great distress. We must acknowledge this, for those lives changed today are the future of our race. Failure to uphold these bonds will be punished with death. For we will all die if we fail. There may come a time when we are at war and if so these bonds will be there to call on for protection and safety," Logus finished and it would be a long while before the debates were concluded and all matches decided.

/

Several hours later, among the final matches to be decided was between the northern packs. Many of the other packs had already left, with their news of the conclusion of the events of today. The sexual preference and age of many of the pack were held in regard and decided many of the matches.

Alric had argued fiercely against his heir and only daughter, Jana from being given a match. He'd argued that she'd had no experience in the human world and would be ill-suited to live among the humans.

Many had argued that his family should not be exempt, until Rhydian Morris, a young alpha and recently transformed wolfblood from Alric's stepped forward and volunteered himself.

"What makes you think that you are suitable to represent your pack?" Lorelei asked. The blonde, nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he looked up from the ground.

"My mother, Ceri and brother Bryn are wild wolfbloods and part of Alric's pack, but my father, Gerwyn lives in the city as a tame wolfblood and works for the research organization Segolia. I have grown-up and survived in both worlds and would be an ideal candidate," Rhydian said, before looking at Alric beside him, "I agree with my alpha. Jana is ill-suited to this arrangement." Alric nodded at Rhydian in gratitude.

They both knew that Jana and Rhydian had for many years considered being bonded together and that Jana's feelings for Rhydian had the potential for them to be mates.

"Is this acceptable to you Alric?" Logus asked the alpha. Alric nodded.

"This is only the beginning of fortifying the unity of our race. There will have to be many matches in the months and years to come. It does not end today," Logus spoke quietly.

"There are few options in this case for tame females," Lorelei said as she looked at the Smith's. Emma could feel her heart fill with dread as she realized that her only child and daughter, Madeline was the only choice.

"We must all make sacrifices," Logus said as if he could real Emma's mind. Daniel gripped his wife's shoulder with and squeeze and she nodded, not looking back up from the ground trying to control her anger.

"Our daughter Madeline is of age, but has yet to make her first transformation," Daniel said and Logus gestured for Rhydian to come forward.

"Rhydian and Madeline are our final union. Since they are among the few matches that are young in age and that the girl still remains a cub, they will refrain from completing the mating bond, until they reach the age of consent at eighteen. But...Rhydian must spend the school term in the human world, creating history in the human world and Madeline must spend her summers in the woods with the wild wolfblood pack learning of her culture and history. Are we agreed?" Logus asked.

Rhydian looked to Alric, who nodded to him in confirmation and Rhydian nodded his consent to Logus. Logus and Rhydian both looked to Emma whose eyes remained on the ground. A subtle squeeze from Daniel, had her raise her eyes and nodding at Logus.

A collective sigh was released from the remaining wolfbloods as the final match was made.

"On pain of death, let no wolfblood break these unions made today," Logus said before they all transformed and howled at the almost full moon.

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 **Please review and let me know what you think and if you'd like me to continue.**


	2. Chapter 1: Lone Wolf No More

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Chapter 1: Lone Wolf No More

Emma and Daniel Smith sat in their jeep, Daniel gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles white from the force and Emma leaned against the cold window, with her mouth open with natural slack as she blinked blankly.

"What are we going to tell her?" Daniel asked breaking the silence.

"What else can we tell her but the truth?" Emma replied with exhaustion laced through her voice.

"She's going to kill us," Daniel muttered before starting the engine.

"Yep," Emma agreed as she let out a shy and slumped down into the car seat.

/

Madeline Smith nervously chewed on her lip as she watched the footage replaying the news about the recent revelation of wolfbloods to the world. Some people welcomed this idea of wolfbloods and talk of rights were circulating the airwaves, but the majority were afraid of wolfbloods and making demands of submitting to scientific testing and the creation of a worldwide registry of all wolfbloods.

Maddy's head quickly turned at the sound of the family jeep coming down the driveway and switched off the television to go running outside to greet her parents.

"Mam! Da! You're back! Tell me what happened?" Maddy spoke quickly coming to a stop outside the car. Emma and Daniel got out of the vehicle and gestured for Maddy to go back inside.

"We'll tell you all about it over a cuppa," Emma said as Daniel sniffed the air discreetly to ensure no one was on the property that shouldn't be.

Maddy went back inside the home followed by her parents as they went about making tea, before gathering around the kitchen table. Emma explained in slow detail all that occurred at the council meeting, with some interjection by Daniel and the consequences that were to follow in the coming week. Maddy's eyes were a full yellow in cub-like anger as she took in the news that she was now betrothed to a young, alpha, wild wolfblood named Rhydian Morris.

"I don't understand how you can do this to me!" Maddy shouted.

"You have to understand sweetheart it's not us," Daniel tried to calm down his daughter.

"I know it's hard to understand, us living with humans, but we've lived by the Moon Law for centuries, especially in times of great need and this is one of those times," Emma tried to explain.

"But why do I have to get married to this Rhydian whatever his name is? I'm only 14 years old. I haven't even had my first turn yet," Maddy replied before letting her head fall dramatically on the table with a loud bang.

"And that's why the council ruled that any underage matches wouldn't be sealed until you both are of age. These matches are supposed to solidify and protect us together, by uniting both tame and wild packs," Emma responded calmly, but sympathetically.

"There has to be another way. Maybe there's a way out of this-" Maddy was quickly interrupted by Emma.

"No Maddy! This is serious. Your father and I made a vow and if we break that vow there are serious consequences. This isn't just about us or even you Maddy. Other lives are depending on you. You need to realize that," Emma said firmly.

Maddy set her jaw to begin arguing, but after a silent look from her father, thought better of it and stared down at her tea as her parents began making preparations for their turn later that night.

/

Maddy sulked all through dinner and decided after locking her parents up for the night, that she deserved a treat. She put in the DVD for one of her favourite cheesy, scary films and grabbed a new bag of popcorn and soda before settling down to watch the film.

Usually she could distract herself from her darker thoughts by watching human's version of things that go bump in the night, but tonight Maddy couldn't concentrate. She was furious that she was being put in the position of being betrothed to a complete stranger and having to marry him when she turned 18, but if she was honest with herself, Maddy was curious about who this Rhydian was. How did he feel about this whole mess? Was he hearing the news now like her and fighting it? Perhaps he would reject the whole idea and Maddy would be free to continue living her life as she saw fit.

This last thought made Maddy smile and her mind went undisturbed till the end credits started rolling and she heard a noise outside. Maddy turned off the rolling credits of the film and slipped her feet into her trainers as she tiptoed quietly outside.

There was a strange smell outside and it took Maddy a moment to realize that it was scent of another person that she'd never met before. Before she could look deeper into the darkness to find the scent, she heard a loud banging from the trash bins behind the house and she crept closer to the sound.

Her father in wolfblood form, gnawing at the remains of last weeks' chicken and her mother jumping up trying to find a way out of the basement. Maddy mentally sighed at how childish her parents are acting, before reacting, "Get back inside!"

Maddy shoos her father back into the basement and chucks one of her trainers at her mother, hitting her squarely on the nose, using the distraction to quickly shut the basement doors and bar them from the outside. Unnoticed behind her, the owner of the new smell watched the display of the wolves wild on the moonlight with watchful amber eyes.

Maddy stilled as she smelled the scent, which was stronger now. She realized that the owner of the smell must be closer now, she turned around and looked into the dark night, her cinnamon coloured eyes with flecks of amber as they started to turn. Maddy slowly walked closer towards the woods surround her house, when the sound of twigs loudly snapping, disturbed her as her best friend Shannon Kelly blundered towards her waving her digital camera wildly.

"Maddy! You won't believe what I've just taken a picture of!" Shannon gasped running straight past Maddy into the house. Maddy quickly blinked away the amber from her eyes.

Maddy laughed at Shannon's usual antics before looking back into the woods.

"Maddy! Are you coming inside? And where's your other shoe? You weren't sleepwalking were you?" Shannon called out, pulling Maddy from her search of the woods and back into the warmth of her house.

"I'm coming, but you can't stay long Shannon. I'm not supposed to have friends over tonight. I'm grounded since I snuck out with Tom to the cinema last night," Maddy said making the traditional excuse that came with the full moon and why she couldn't hangout.

"Alright. I'll leave in a minute, but I just had to show you what I found out on the moors just now," Shannon spoke quickly brandishing the digital camera at Maddy for her to look at.

Maddy stilled as she caught sight of the giant paw print that Maddy knew belonged to a wolfblood on the digital frame.

"Shannon, where on the moors exactly did you say you found this?" Maddy questioned carefully, hoping that it could not be traced back to her parents mischievous activities.

"About two miles from school. I was surprised to see prints so close to town," Shannon said excitedly before whispering, "Do you think they belong to a wolfblood?"

Maddy's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Why would you think that?"

"Come on Maddy! It's been all over the news for the past month. Wolfbloods are everywhere! I wonder if it's someone from town?" Shannon questioned taking back the camera and looking through the images.

"I don't think so. It's probably just from a large dog or fox," Maddy tried to reason, while her brain spun in circles trying to figure out how the paw print got there. Most likely a wild wolfblood was just passing through.

"I don't think this belongs to a fox. Anyway I should head home. Maybe I'll run into it on my way home," Shannon said putting her camera around her neck, ready to take another picture in the moment.

"Why don't I walk you back. Just in case?" Maddy suggested putting on her coat and wellies, since her mother in wolfblood currently had her other trainer in the basement, which meant she couldn't retrieve it until tomorrow.

"But I thought you were grounded? Where are your parents?" Shannon asked.

Gesturing for Shannon to follow her outside and locking up the house, Maddy replied, "Date night. Mam's been on Dad to take her for dinner and a show, so as long as I make it back in a hour, I should be good to go."

Maddy and Shannon walked along the path towards Shannon's house in town, not noticing the amber eyes that followed them and walked yards behind them. They rambled on about the first month of term, how annoying Jimi was and Shannon teasing Maddy that she thought Jimi had a crush on her.

"Why on earth would you think that? Jimi picks on me all the time. He's always trying to get me into trouble!" Maddy exclaimed in frustration.

"It appears that why, but according to my mom's psychology books, guys our age don't know how to communicate their feelings and often show they like a girl by getting their attention using any means possible, which is why Jimi is so mean to you all the time," Shannon explained and Maddy scoffed in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Shannon, but that's one of the craziest theories I've heard you come up with yet. I'd believe Jimi was a wolfblood over him liking me anyday," Maddy argued.

"What! Do you think Jimi is a wolfblood?" Shannon asked excitedly. Maddy shook her head quickly realizing her error.

"No! Jimi? He wishes he was a wolfblood. Wolfblood's are supposed to be agile and fast and I've seen Jimi playing football...he's anything but graceful," Maddy said getting Shannon to laugh and sighed with relief when Shannon moved on from the subject of wolfbloods.

Maddy bid Shannon goodnight as they reached her house and began the slow walk back home. Waiting until she was at the outskirts of town and checking to make sure no one was around, Maddy took off into the woods, letting the yellow of her wolf seep out from her eyes as she ran with wild abandon home laughing as she went. Once again not noticing amber eyes following after her.

/

The next morning Maddy lazily opened her eyes as the sun sneaked in through her curtains and her alarm clock radio played the latest pop song in the background. Maddy groaned as she forced herself up from the bed and got dressed for another day at school.

Five minutes later, Maddy walked down the stairs and looked around carefully, before going to the basement door and unlocking her parents from the den.

"I think that chicken went off," Daniel muttered as he stroked his stomach regretfully.

"I can't believe you two. Breaking out and raiding the bins," Maddy muttered shaking her head, before catching sight of her ripped up trainer, "Oh Mam!"

"That's what you get for whacking me on the nose last night," Emma growled playfully, trying to lighten her daughter's mood.

"What was I supposed to do? You're the one always warning me about being careful and never letting my wolfside out in public," Maddy vented as she climbed back up the stairs to the kitchen.

"You really don't understand how strong the pull of the moon is Maddy," Daniel said before burping and rubbing his stomach in regret.

"One day when you're older-" Emma began saying, before being interrupted by Maddy, "When I'm old enough to get married to a complete stranger."

Emma and Daniel went quiet and Maddy instantly felt guilt for bringing up the betrothal.

"The truth is Maddy, whether you want to hear it or not, Rhydian won't be a stranger to you by the time you get bonded. It's your choice whether you get to know him or not," Emma said as she opened the trashcan to throw the trainer away and smirked slowly seeing the remains of Maddy's junk food binge.

"Looks like I'm not the only one breaking the rules," Emma said pointing to the trash.

"Don't try and change the subject Mam," Maddy said crossing her arms in frustration.

"Well go on and get your things together and we can talk on the way to school," Emma capitulated and Maddy groaned as she put on her rain wellies and grabbed her backpack before slouching to the jeep, Emma behind her.

/

Maddy leaned her head against the window of the jeep as Emma drove her to school.

"So what do you want to know?" Emma asked.

"Tell me everything," Maddy said.

"His name is Rhydian Morris. He's your age and from what I understand he's spent time both in the wild and with humans. He'll be staying with the Vaughan's as a foster child-" Maddy interrupted her. "But how? Won't it be too difficult to hide that he's wolfblood?"

"The Vaughan's have been fostering wolfblood children for many years now. They are sympathizers," Emma explained. Maddy bit her lip and nodded before looking back out the window.

"When will he get here?" Maddy questioned softly.

"Immediately. There is a need to create history in the human world for all the wild wolfbloods. He could even be here now I suppose," Emma reasoned as she stopped at a stop sign.

"He's already here," Maddy said with certainty that had Emma turn her head in confusion.

"Did something happen last night? Did he-"

"No. I mean, I dunno know. Shannon came over last night and showed me a photo of some pawprints she found last night on the moors. I wasn't sure if it was a wild wolfblood passing through-" Maddy stopped speaking in shock as Emma cursed lowly under her breath.

"You'd think he'd know better than to run wild on the moors," Emma said as Maddy smiled ruefully.

"Seems breaking the rules applies to all the wolfbloods in Stoneybridge," Maddy said laughing, causing Emma to smile at the sound of her daughter's laughter.

"It's nice to hear you laugh pet. Just try and keep an open mind," Emma said as she pulled into the drop off lane at school and Maddy unbuckled her seatbelt before getting out of the car.

"I'll try Mam, but no promises ya?" Maddy said before waving goodbye and running off into the school.

/

Maddy ignored the glances from her classmates and the unsubtle laughs from Jimi Chen who mocked her, "What are those? You look like a right idiot."

"Ya I do," Maddy agreed as everyone in the schoolyard stilled to pay attention to the latest confrontation between the two.

"You been off on the moors with that crazy friend of yours Shannon? Chasing after another monster?" Jimi asked as everyone chuckled, Shannon's antics well known to everyone in the school. The K's tittered, in between reapplying their lipstick. Maddy rolled her eyes.

"Well, I can take these off -," Maddy paused before stepping closer to Jimi, whose eyebrows rose in surprise, "Too bad you're stuck with that face," Maddy finished before knocking Jimi's shoulder as she strode past him towards her other best friend Tom Okanawe, who was observing the scene by the front door of the school.

The entire school yard laughed as Jimi turned red and scowled.

"What are those on your feet?" Tom teased pushing away from the wall he was leaning on.

"My shoes got eaten by werewolves. Didn't you see the full moon last night?" Maddy said as they walked inside the school.

"Don't you start! I've already heard this from-Oh Shannon!" Tom quickly stopped what he was going to say as Shannon rounded the corner speaking, "Maddy! Did you hear last night on the moors? There was definitely howling after you left!"

"No I didn't," Maddy said lamely as she walked to their lockers and began emptying her bag into it.

"I'm going to take the photo I saw last night, and compare it to the pawprints of different dogs," Shannon said as she continued to look through the same photos on her digital camera.

"What? Every type of dog? Don't you know how long that's going to take?" Tom asked exasperatedly.

"This is proof Tom! Proof that there's something weird out there on the moors!" Shannon said with an excited gleam in her eyes.

Maddy shook her head as the two continued to bicker and as she did so she caught a whiff of the same scent from last night. Maddy looked around sharply and as they all started to walk towards their formroom. The scent trailed faintly through the hallways before disappearing down the stairs towards the headmaster's office.

Maddy grew distracted when she saw Shannon and the K's having a confrontation in the hallway.

"Haven't you two got hair-curlers to play with or something?" Maddy asked as she walked past them to stand beside Tom.

"Step aside, uglies," Katrina said shoving her way past Maddy.

"If you even can in those wellies," Kara muttered walking past them.

"Yeah, you don't get to talk to us," Kay said lamely.

"Get over yourself, Kay," Shannon said rolling her eyes before shutting her locker and giving a final jab at them, "This is Northumbria, not Gossip Girl."

Maddy, Tom, and Shannon walked over to their Photography Club sign-up sheet, as they did every morning, always disappointed that there weren't any new sign-ups.

"Yes! Look! New photography club members!" Shannon said excitedly.

"Finally!" Tom said with a smile. Maddy frowned as she began to read the names on the sheet.

"You're going to need a much bigger darkroom," Mr. Jeffries, their form teacher said from behind them.

"What?" Tom asked with pure confusion.

"Apparently, the Incredible Hulk is taking up photography, along with Superman. There is some awful handwriting in this school," Jeffries continued shaking his head.

"We're going to get new members, and even if we don't, the photography club is still a vital part of school life," Maddy vented as she ripped down the ruined sign-up sheet.

"We can only fund clubs that involve a cross-section of pupils. You have three members, and these two only joined to keep you happy," Jeffries argued.

"What! That's not true," Tom tried to deny, even though it was a well-known fact he'd prefer to be on the football field rather than the darkroom.

"Look, I'm glad you all have passions, but it does not entitle you to a room on school premises to use are your own private den. You have until tomorrow morning to find three new members or I'm closing you down," Jeffries finished, before chasing off after Harry who was forever being caught running in the hallways.

"When I find out who did this," Shannon threatened as she took the sign-up sheet from Maddy, looking for clues.

"Nice one, boys," Maddy heard down the hallway using her heightened hearing. Maddy turned and saw Jimi laughing with his two cronies Sam and Liam. Maddy shook her head as she listened to them gloat over Shannon's disappointed face.

"Jimi," Maddy said through gritted teeth.

"How'd you work that one out?" Tom asked.

"Who else has got such bad handwriting?" Maddy said loud enough for Jimi to hear and he scowled in response before heading towards their formroom.

"Come on," Tom said nudging Maddy to head towards their formroom.

Shannon and Tom continued to talk about the sign-up sheet with Maddy trailing behind as she caught whiff of the scent again. It was stronger now and she found herself wandering after it to see where it led.

"Mads, what are you doing? It's time for class," Tom called after her and Maddy turned away from the scent and headed towards the formroom.

Tom and Shannon were already sitting beside each other, bickering again, which made Maddy smile as she put her books on top of her desk in front of them.

The room was loud with boisterous students talking about their weekend, Maddy engaged in a heated conversation with Tom about the upcoming football match, when the door opened and she was flooded with the scent that had been bugging her since last night.

"Welcome aboard. My name is Mr. Jeffries. I'm you're head of year, as well as your form tutor, so you will be seeing a lot of me over the next year," Jeffries said ushering in a tall blonde boy, who looked ill-used to wearing a school uniform, the tie haphazard around his neck and his jacket not on straight. Jeffries turned to the class addressing them, "Everyone! This is Rhydian Morris, who I'm guessing is from Wales."

Maddy felt frozen where she was staring at Rhydian. A cold feeling went down the length of her spine and a rock of dread hung low in the pit of her stomach, suddenly Maddy found it hard to breath. He was taller than her and very fit as most wolfbloods were, having an active lifestyle and if he were anyone else, she might have thought he was kind of cute.

Still looking down at the ground the boy muttered, "No." in response to Jeffries question of his origin.

"No, he's not from Wales. Ok so sue me. Quiet everyone! Maddy sit down," Jeffries spoke trying to control the classroom after his mistake.

Upon hearing the sound of her name, Rhydian's head snapped up and his eyes looked straight to her. Maddy felt a lump grow in her throat and she felt her shaking legs move back until they hit her seat. Rhydian's blue eyes followed her movement, his jaw clenching. Sheep noises went around the classroom as the boys grew rowdy with a new addition.

"You smell like my parents," Maddy found herself saying out of shock, which had the whole class rolling in even louder laughter.

Jeffries turned his gaze angrily towards Maddy, "Madeline Smith sit down now. Please."

"Thank you. Rhydian you too. Quiet! Claire, wake up! Jimi, Jimi! If I hear one more sheep noise coming from the back of the class, you'll regret it!" Jeffries threatened trying to bring order back to the class, which seemed to work as everyone quieted for rollcall.

Rhydian took a seat in the next row of desks beside Maddy and next to the K's. Katrina smiling with glee as he sat right beside her.

"Don't mind these idiots Rhydian, they're a few coats short of a manicure. Rhydian that's a lovely name," Katrina simpered.

Maddy scoffed and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms on her desk and laid her chin on them sulking. Not only was Rhydian here, in her life, but also in her class. She wouldn't be able to escape him. She'd have to see him everyday.

"Madeline Smith," Jeffries called her name and Maddy just groaned and hit her head on the desk with a muffled, "Here, sir."

"Maddy could you please stop trying to karate chop your desk and get your books out for class," Jeffries joked moving on down the list.

Throughout the rest of class, Maddy avoided looking over at Rhydian, despite the fact she could feel him occasionally boring holes into her head. She couldn't look though. She had so many thoughts whirling around in her mind and questions about whether he was the wolf on the moors that Shannon saw. If he was, how could he be so careless? Maddy felt her heart beat faster with anger and realized that she could feel the veins on the arms move with wolfblood.

Maddy quickly made an excuse, grabbed her things and ran out of the classroom, with a startled Jeffries who awkwardly waved a sick pass at her back, which she didn't bother to retrieve. Blue eyes staring after her.

/

With shaking hands Maddy dialed her parents phone number as she took in big gulps of air by the edge of the school grounds near the woods.

"Maddy, what's wrong sweetheart?" Emma answered the phone.

"I don't think I can do this."

"Do what? Maddy are you ok?" Emma questioned with concern.

"He's here."

"Rhydian is already at school?" Emma asked with obvious surprise in her voice.

"He's in my class," Maddy gasped out, running her hand through her hair.

"Did something happen?" Emma asked with a tinge of her alpha seeping through. She'd never let anyone hurt Maddy, vow or no vow.

"No. It's just," Maddy struggled to find the words, before gasping out, "It's just too real. Everything's just happening too fast."

"Oh pet."

"Can you come get me? Can I come home from school? I don't feel ready to deal with this right now," Maddy asked.

Emma paused on the line for a moment, before replying, "No, I'm sorry. I think you need to see this through. I know it's tough, but this is life. You can't run from it, just because you don't like it."

"But Mam!"

"This is final Maddy," Emma said firmly.

"Fine," Maddy responded despondently.

"I'll see you after school. I'll make you a treat," Emma soothed Maddy and she couldn't help but smile.

"See you after school," Maddy said as she hung up the phone, the school bell rung for next period. She walked back inside the school ready to get some answers.

/

The school halls were filled with busy students struggling to grab their books from their lockers and head off to their next class. Rhydian was among them, his brow furrowed looking at a piece of paper that would lead him to his next class, obviously lost.

Maddy found him this way on the stairs, happy to catch him off guard so bombarded him with questions, "What are you doing here? Don't you know the rules? You're on our territory!"

"What? I'm just looking for my next class. I don't care whose territory this is," Rhydian threw back at her, frustration clearly on his face that today was not his day. He could feel his veins thrumming with energy and he flashed his amber eyes at her, which shocked Maddy. How could he be so foolish to show himself in public.

"Was that you last night on the moors? You could've been caught!" Maddy threw back at him.

"So what if it was? I don't obey your laws. I'm a wild wolfblood and completely in control of my abilities. Only tame wolfbloods are afraid to embrace who they are," Rhydian responded quietly so only she could hear with her heightened senses, shifting his eyes back to cold blue.

"Good! So then I obvious don't need to worry about this Moon Law now do I?" Maddy smiled back victoriously, which faded quickly with Rhydian's dark expression as he backed her against the wall. She shoved him away, but he remained unmoving.

"You're still just a cub and don't know what you're talking about. I don't need some Smelly Girl telling me what I can and can't do," Rhydian said, looking down on her before stalking off to find his next class.

Maddy frowned after him, before running off to her next class as the late bell rang.

/

It wasn't until dinner that Maddy found a sympathetic shoulder to cry on with Shannon and Tom as she complained abou Rhydian's antics on the stairs.

"He called me a Smelly girl!" Maddy grunted smashing her mashed potatoes into her soggy peas.

"Maddy, you did kind of start it," Shannon tried to reason with Maddy.

"No, I didn't! He was the one...just forget it," Maddy said stopping herself from giving away the true nature of her conversation with Rhydian, looking over at the sulking boy sitting a few tables over, drawing in a notebook.

"As usual, you two missed out the most important question," Tom stated and at their confused expressions continued, "Does he play football?"

"Is that all you ever think about?" Shannon questioned him.

"Basically, yeah," Tom said, before turning his gaze to Jimi who was walking by their table and calling out to him, "Hey Jimi! Are you going to ask the new kid to try out?"

"Leek boy? I don't think he's the right sort for the team. Do you?" Jimi scoffed before looking at Maddy, "Any luck filling those spots for your pathetic photography club?" sneering as he walked away not waiting for a response.

"I really hate him sometimes," Maddy muttered to herself stabbing at her carrots.

"He didn't say you couldn't ask," Shannon pointed out to Tom, who smiled with that realization and headed over to Rhydian, "Good point!"

"No Tom! Don't!" Maddy called after him.

"Come on Mads, he won't bite," Shannon teased going back to her book.

"I wouldn't count on that," Maddy said stroking her hair behind her ear to better listen in on the conversation already taking place.

"What do you want?" Rhydian questioned Tom, ignoring his compliments on his sketches.

"Just wanted to know if you like football."

"Not really," Rhydian responded without looking up from the his sketch.

"Oh, because it's a really good way to make friends," Tom stopped explaining as Rhydian looked up and made eye contact with him.

"I don't like football and I don't want to hang around with you and your weirdo mate. You got that?" Rhydian said knowing that Maddy was most likely eavesdropping. Tom walked off muttering, "Obviously they don't teach you manner in Wales."

Rhydian sighed, in frustration trying to go back to his sketch, but once again being interrupted, but this time by the K's, who sat around him.

"Rhydian! Look what we found!" Katrina said waving around a colorful flyer and proceeded to ramble on about some modeling competition and needing a portfolio, but was distracted by the sound of Maddy's mocking laughter at his predicament and he sharply turned in his seat to look at her pointing.

"That weird girl, who's she?" Rhydian asked and took pleasure in that she blushed and looked away, knowing she'd been caught. Serves her right, he thought to himself as he vaguely paid attention to the K's comments.

"Those country families have lived here for centuries. Never leave the area and don't like strangers or questions," Kara explained to which Kay tried to make a witty comment, "Their all cuckoo!"

"What are we talking about her for? Let's talk about you and me. And us," Katrina said touching Rhydian's hand pulling his attention away from Maddy.

Rhydian let them natter on about trying to hangout with him after school and he nodded at the appropriate moments, waiting for the perfect moment when they were distracted to speak under his breath, "So I'm not alone eh? Everyone thinks you're a weirdo too."

He didn't have to look behind him to know that the comment had hit it's target when Maddy stood up loudly knocking over her chair to the dismay of her friends and stalked out of the cafeteria.

/

After school, Maddy, Shannon and Tom sat in the dark room trying to come up with ideas of how to recruit new members to the photography club. Maddy watched the verbal ping-pong match between Shannon and Tom who were tossing around possible name changes.

"Don't be so negative. Get it? Negative!" Tom suggested enthusiastically causing Shannon to get her forehead with her hand in frustration.

"Look, we need three new members by tomorrow. What's going on today? Where could we recruit new members?" Maddy asked them, stopping the bickering from continuing. Shannon jumped up and smiled as she walked to the bulletin board and tore off a flyer.

"Miss Parish's badger stake out! It's open to anyone, but is part of the year seven's syllabus, so they have to go!" Shannon said. Maddy took the flyer from her and smiled.

"Shannon you're a genius! If we give out all the club camera, I bet we'll get at least three new members by tomorrow," said Maddy, but was quickly distracted by loud voices behind her in the hallway near the lockers.

"I thought I smelled something funny," said Sam leaning against a nearby locker and Jimi and Liam laughed beside him.

"Is that your lunch Welshy?" Liam teased Rhydian, who was clutching a leek, fresh out of his locker.

"I'm not even Welsh," Rhydian gritted out as Jimi and his gang started to walk away.

Maddy couldn't help, but smirk at how ridiculous Rhydian looked brandishing a leek around. Jimi lifted his hand for a high five from Maddy, which caused to her to laugh aloud. Rhydian's head snapped in her direction at the sound, making eye contact with her, when he saw her laugh and the smile quickly drained from her face at his dark look. She flinched when he threw the leek across the hall and hit Jimi in the back of the head.

Jimi turned around in anger and threw off his bag, getting in Rhydian's face, "Got a problem, Leek boy?"

Jimi barely finished his taunt, when Rhydian lost control and leaped on top of Jimi. Jimi struggled in the fight and Maddy couldn't help, but be impressed that Jimi was fighting back at all, since she knew his human instincts would be screaming for him to run, despite not knowing that Rhydian is a wolfblood.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Jeffries screamed as he strode into the hallway.

Rhydian leapt off of Jimi, as if he'd been burned looking at his hand, which he then shoved in his pocket and turning around the other way to leave the scene. Maddy seeing the veins already creeping towards his eyes, grabbed his arm quickly and dragged him in the darkroom, away from the screaming Jimi and Jeffries.

Rhydian began to pace inside the darkroom, looking for a window or an exit. His wolf scratching at the surface screaming to get out. Maddy locked the door behind her.

"What are you doing?"

It's alright now. They won't come in here. You need to breath," Maddy said trying to soothe Rhydian, which only made him pace more.

"You have to get out!" Rhydian shouted as he through shelves over and knocked items off tables, trying to tame his wolf by distracted and violence.

"Just breath. You're going to-" Maddy wasn't able to finish her sentence, before Rhydian turned into a wolf and leapt on top of a table, scattering everything to the floor, "change," Maddy whispered out.

She'd never seen anyone change in front of her before outside of her small family and she was honestly shocked that he'd done so in school.

Rhydian leapt off the table and Maddy moved towards the door, losing her footing on all the things to the ground she fell over. When she tried to sit up, she was stopped by Rhydian's lupine face staring at her. Instinctively she felt her eyes changes to amber, her veins flowing with her black wolfblood.

Rhydian stepped back and sat down on his haunches, before turning again to his human form, "Seems we have a lot more in common then you'd like to think, Madeline." He stood up and offered his hand to help her up.

"Don't call me that. I'm nothing like you," Maddy bit out as she leapt to her feet in anger, slapping away his hand.

"I don't show off, pick fights, and wolf out around humans. You're a danger to us all," Maddy said pushing him in the chest with every word, before turning away to unlock the door, "And the sooner you leave, the better."

"What happened in here?" Shannon came in observing all the mess. Tom puffed his chest out to stop Rhydian from walking past him through the door, when Maddy called out, "Let him go. He doesn't belong here."

Rhydian tensed as he heard the words, but didn't turn back around instead shoving past Tom and walking out.

/

Maddy sulked the entire walk to Bernie's where they were planning on meeting up with the rest of the year seven's before the left to go watching for badgers. Shannon and Tom complained about how long it would take them this week to fix the darkroom from all the damage Rhydian caused and spoke of how relieved none of the cameras had been broken.

"Come on guys. Let's get something sweet from Bernie's. Maybe it'll help our moods," Tom suggested knowing that chocolates were the cure to everything with his two best friends.

"There's not enough chocolate in the world," Maddy griped as they walked inside.

Maddy looked around at Bernie's sweet inventory as she tuned out all the recruitment talk and gossip that was the usual conversation of the restaurant and market. Maddy let out a giggle as Shannon chased around a boy trying to convince him to sign-up for photography club, just stopping herself short of gripping his sweater in a threat for him to sign-up. Shannon could be a little bit of a bully when people wouldn't do what she'd want them to do.

"Hey Bernie! Has Rhydian come in?" Kara asked the grumpy owner, Bernie.

"Who?"

"He's this tall and dreamy," said Kay.

"And Welsh," said Katrina.

"He's not Welsh," said both Kay and Kara correcting her.

"Oh yes, the Vaughan's new foster kid. That one must have been a bad boy, eh? To get moved all the way up here for a fresh start," Bernie gossiped with his most loyal customers, knowing which buttons to push to get there "ohhs" and "awws," hoping to make a sale.

"Saw him about ten minutes ago, headed back home to the Vaughans," Bernie informed them, before trying to convince the K's to buy a milkshake.

Despite the day's events, Maddy couldn't help but feel a twinge in her heart. He was all alone out here and she hadn't made any of it easier.

Before she could change her mind, she made her excuses to catch up with Shannon and Tom and ran in the direction that she knew Rhydian would have to take to go home. One of the benefits of living in a small village, was knowing all the routes.

/

The Vaughans lived on the opposite side of the woods from Maddy's family farm. Miles stretched between the two houses, but the woods there were great for young wolfbloods that the Vaughan's fostered to run freely and would find it difficult to encounter Maddy's family territory. Even though it did occasionally happen, the Smith's were able to send them on their way back to the Vaughan's. Maddy always wondered why the humans were allowed knowledge of the wolfblood secret.

It didn't take her long to catch up to Rhydian who was trudging along the road, up the hill towards his new home.

"Rhydian!" Maddy shouted after him trying to get him to stop, but he ignored her.

"Rhydian stop please! I'm sorry," Maddy finally reached Rhydian, but only because he stopped suddenly and she ran into him.

"You're sorry?" Rhydian repeated at the dumbfounded girl in front of him. Maddy chewed on her bottom lip under his intense stare, shifting her weight back and forth not speaking. Rhydian snorted in amusement saying, "You really are still a cub aren't you."

"I'm not a cub," Maddy stuttered out crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Believe me you are," Rhydian said, causing Maddy to open her mouth to argue, but he held up his hand to stop her from speaking.

"I'm sorry I lost control today in the darkroom. Everything has changed so fast. For both of us," Rhydian said putting his head down.

"You can't lose control like that around humans. Someone could get hurt. My friends could get hurt," Maddy said finding her voice once more.

"What I am. What we are. What we turn into, is better than anything they will ever know. We shouldn't have to hide it," Rhydian said surprising her.

"You want to tell humans what we are?" Maddy asked in confusion.

"No. I don't think the world was ready to know and that's why we are both here now," Rhydian replied looking at her with some sympathy, "I'm sure all of this must have come as a shock to you. Being tame and all."

"What's me being tame have to do with any of this?" Maddy spat out defensively.

"When you're in the wild, living wild, you're completely free. Free to be what we are. We live and die by the Moon Law and that's all that matters. We don't concern ourselves with the human world," Rhydian said gesturing out towards the woods.

"Go ahead then! Use your wolfy powers and see how long it takes for someone to find out what you are. Just leave me out of it!" Maddy shouted at him.

"I've got nothing to lose here. I can just disappear back into the woods. But you, none of your mates know your little secret, do they?" Rhydian questioned Maddy stalking around her, "I thought not," Rhydian teased her before running off into the woods, Maddy hot on his heels running after him.

/

While Shannon and Tom were trying to convince seventh years into joining the photography club, bribing them with the use of their cameras, Maddy and Rhydian were chasing each other through the woods. Rhydian, the faster since he'd already had his transformation with heightened senses, but with Maddy ever close on his heels.

Maddy lost Rhydian's scent and stopped where she was to assess the possible route he took. Coming up short Maddy huffed in frustration until she heard a chuckle from above her. Looking up she caught sight of a gleeful Rhydian who jumped down from the tree and raced off again and this time she laughed as she ran to catch up with him.

They continued to run until Maddy was so close she could touch him, when she tripped and sent them both rolling down a hill covered in leaves and she huffed as he fell on top of her. There lips inches from each other. Maddy couldn't help, but lick her lips in nervousness of having him so close to her and she heard Rhydian swallow slowly.

They were disturbed by the sound of someone clearing their throat, when Maddy realized that they had run straight into the path of the year seven's badger watching. Rhydian quickly got up off Maddy and she stood up quickly almost smacking him in the nose with the top of her head.

"Sorry, we're late everyone. Seen any badgers yet?" Maddy asked sheepishly.

Miss Parish stood angrily from her spot silently opening and closing her mouth, before shouting, "No! You two have scared off every animal for miles with your shenanigans. I'm sorry everyone, but we'll have to come back another day."

"Join the photography club," Shannon said weakly as the students handed back their cameras in frustration of the wasted afternoon.

"Well done, Mads! We were so close to getting new members and then you two had to mess everything up," Shannon vented out in anger.

"There was something important I had to-"

"What? More important than photography club?" Tom chastised Maddy, giving jealous looks at Rhydian, which did not go unnoticed by the male alpha.

"Yeah, actually! Rhydian is more important than the club. The thing is Rhydian and I are-"

"Family friends. Our parents knew each other when they were kids," Rhydian interrupted Maddy nodded dumbly at the explanation.

"Ya, I got upset at the attention he was getting at home and I didn't want him here. So I treated him badly, which is why he lashed out and trashed the darkroom. You guys don't have to be best friends, but Rhydian's part of my life now. And that's that," Maddy rambled through her speech for nodding her head at the conclusion.

"Ok?"

"Sure. Welcome to Stoneybridge, mate." came the responses from Shannon and Tom, before they all started heading back to the main road, where they would all go their separate ways.

"You really don't like football?" Tom questioned Rhydian, who only shook his head and laughed in amusement, while Shannon and Maddy walked behind them, "Right, well, I am frozen. I'm heading straight home for a hot bath."

/

Maddy and Rhydian gave their goodbyes to Shannon and Tom, before heading back into the woods, dawdling on their way home.

"So what excuse were you actually going to give them? That I was a long lost relative?" Rhydian asked Maddy as he hopped on the rocks by the river.

"Cousin actually. I had to find someway to explain why we'll be together so often," Maddy explained as Rhydian frowned.

"Other than the truth?"

"That we're betrothed," Maddy said for the first time admitting it out loud. Both of them stilled and Rhydian jumped easily over the river to stand on the same side as her.

"I meant the truth that we'd be friends," Rhydian smiled holding his hand out for her to shake.

"Friends," Maddy said shaking his hand and then letting go to walk off into the woods on the side where her family's farm was.

"Smelly girl," she heard him whisper teasingly, before he turned around in the opposite direction from her towards the Vaughan's, towards home.

* * *

 **Please review, let me know what you think and if you'd like me to continue.**


	3. Chapter 2: Mystery Breeds Distrust

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Mystery Breeds Distrust**

Maddy ran home the whole way through the woods, slightly happier that the awkward circumstances were at least providing her with a new friend. She picked up her speed as she remembered that she was promised a treat from her mother, upon her return home from school.

She slowed down to a relaxed jog as her family's property came into view and she practically skipped through her family's personal vegetable garden and into the kitchen. Daniel was reading a newspaper at the kitchen table, while Emma was placing already cooled chocolate chip cookies into the cookie jar for later consumption.

Maddy grabbed the nearest cookie towards her and took a bite, before mumbling a thank you towards her mother.

"I believe there was a thank you somewhere in there," Emma said amusedly, gesturing Maddy to take a seat at the table.

"How was your day sweetheart?" Daniel questioned her, putting his paper down and taking a swig of tea from his mug.

"Good," Maddy said, after struggling to swallow the giant bite of cookie she'd just taken and took a gulp of milk to wash it down from the freshly poured glass, by Emma.

"How did the rest of your day go with Rhydian?" Emma asked, sitting down at the table grabbing a cookie for herself.

"Better. He's not so bad as I thought he was. Though he'll definitely need to come up with a plan for changing in the future. Those were his pawprints that Shannon discovered on the moors last night," Maddy said.

"Did Shannon realize that they are wolfblood prints?" Daniel questioned seriously, leaning forward to better gauge his daughter's reaction. Maddy shook her head negatively.

"No. The print was too muddy to be clear enough to establish it beyond a dog. All the results pointed to a hound dog. Shannon was very disappointed," Maddy replied before polishing off the rest of her treat.

"Better that she be disappoint then keep searching," Daniel said trying to go for a sweet himself and getting his hand batted away by Emma.

"Not now. You'll ruin your dinner," Emma scolded Daniel, before addressing Maddy, "Please tell Rhydian tomorrow that he needs to come over for dinner so we may come up with a solution for his next change."

"I will, but you should know that Shannon won't stop searching for her monster on the moors. At least she's not certain if it's a wolfblood or what," Maddy said, sneaking two cookies and tossing one to her father, which was intercepted by her mother who ate it herself. They all laughed and continued on with their dinner preparations.

/

The next day, Maddy was happy to find out from Shannon that the photography club was going to survive, but not as pleased when she realised it was all due to the K's joining to support their ambitions of becoming models and creating their own portfolio. Maddy hated that the survival of her beloved photography club rested on such a double-edged sword.

Throughout the week, Maddy avoided the K's whenever they were in the photography club, but she soon found it was slightly more tolerable when Rhydian was there diffusing the situation, though he was nothing more than an honorary member of the club.

It wasn't until the end of the week that Maddy felt her wolf edging ever closer to the surface, which was brought to the edge when Jimi came in on Thursday morning, waving a London newspaper around with the more recent news of the clashes between wolfbloods and anti-wolfblood supporters.

"What's going to be next? Vampires living in Buckingham palace?" Jimi questioned as he dropped the newspaper on top of the book Maddy was reading on her desk.

Maddy knocked it off her desk and gave Jimi and annoyed look with a raised eyebrow. Liam quickly picked it up and handed it to Jimi, who was unrelenting in his staring contest with Maddy. He playfully hit her in the head with the newspaper, but was stopped by Rhydian's hand. The two males sized each other up and Jimi relented, before continuing with his conversation.

"I wonder if there are any wolfbloods in Stoneybridge?" Jimi asked their form class, who'd all stopped their conversations to watch the exchange.

"Doubt it. Nothing cool ever happens here," Kara said instantly rejecting the idea as they class collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

"What about my monster on the moors? What if that is one of those wild wolfbloods that they've been talking about on the news?" Shannon argued, to a near deaf class, who were uninterested in her rants.

"That is nothing more than a figment of your imagination," Jimi taunted Shannon, who looked at her books in shame.

Mr. Jeffries came into the classroom a moment later, starting roll call, but Maddy couldn't help but feel sympathy for her best friend, who'd once again been put down in front of the entire class.

/

Maddy spent the rest of class tuning Jeffries in and out, until she realized near the end that Jeffries was waving to get her attention.

"Yes sir, sorry sir," Maddy quickly apologized realizing that she'd missed everything. Jeffries shook his head in disappointment.

"Maddy, I expected better of you. You and Jimi are being paired for the history project presentation on Northumbria. I hope you perform better during your presentation then you are now," Jeffries lamented as he continued pairing her classmates off.

Maddy could feel anger and rage coming off around the people around her. What confused her was the rage coming from Tom and Rhydian, in full force and agitation. Only Jimi was angry, which she noticed disappeared the second she looked at him.

/

It wasn't until Maddy was sitting with Shannon, Tom, and Rhydian during dinner break in the cafeteria that Jimi approached her to talk about their project.

"So I think we should get started on our project tonight. How about you come over to my house after school?" Jimi suggested, growing annoyed when Maddy shook her head.

"I can't tonight. I'm having this big dinner with me parents and Rhydian's coming over too," Maddy said, to which Jimi responded with more than just annoyance.

"I"m not going to get a bad mark on this project just because you'd rather spend time with Leek Boy!" Rhydian, who up until this point had refused to acknowledge the exchange in favour of sketching, threw down his pencil and stood up. Maddy stood up as well and put a hand on both of their chests to keep them separated.

"How about we work on the project all weekend? I'll come over first thing in the morning?" Maddy compromised.

"And during study period today as well," Jimi threw back at her quickly, enjoying the way Rhydian's jaw tensed. Reluctantly, Maddy nodded and Jimi smirked in victory.

"See you at study period," Maddy said shoving Jimi away slightly, her hand still on Rhydian's chest stopping him from moving forward. Something both Jimi and Rhydian noted, the former with a slow smile glancing down at Maddy's hand, only to raise his gaze at his rival, a solitary golden eyebrow going up. Reluctantly Jimi nodded, but not before sneering at Rhydian and shoving past him, knocking Maddy's hand from his chest, to walk over to where his mates sat on the opposite side of the cafeteria.

"You shouldn't let him rile you up like that," Maddy chided Rhydian after they'd both sat down.

"Ya, he's given us all names at one time or another," Shannon agreed with Maddy as she finished the last bite of her cookie. Rhydian shook his head in disagreement.

"It's not because he calls me Leek Boy. Nevermind. You wouldn't get it," Rhydian said putting away his sketchbook in his bag and grabbing his tray to throw away.

Rhydian heard Maddy and Shannon move onto another topic and Tom get up and follow behind him. They both threw away their trash and walked outside to the commons area to enjoy the remainder of the sun.

"It's cause he likes Maddy isn't it?" Tom asked Rhydian quietly.

"It's kind of funny that she doesn't know, but I just really don't like the way he treats her and teases her is all," Rhydian explained shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you like her?" Tom asked, surprising Rhydian as shown by his eyebrows rising on his face and small smile on his lips.

"It's hard not to like Maddy," Rhydian responded before giving Tom a knowing look. Tom nodded and the two of them grabbed a basketball and played in the courtyard until final bell rang.

/

The rest of the day dragged on in a slow and punishing pace and Maddy regretted to agreeing to Jimi's demand that they start on their project during study period. Jimi spent the majority of the study period joking around with Liam and Sam, who in turn played pranks on Shannon. Maddy frowned at their childishness and regretted the waste of her time. Shannon gave as good as she got, which resulted in them all being given detention, much to Maddy's chagrin.

Once the teacher returned to her seat, resuming grading papers, Maddy leaned over and flicked Jimi in the ear, which resulted in him whipping his head up and flashing his eyes in annoyance.

"Oi! What was that for?" Jimi asked angrily as he rubbed his now sore ear.

"Either you start helping me with our project on Northumbria or I go to Jeffries and tell him that I did it all meself," Maddy growled back. Cowed by the short girl's aggression Jimi apologized and diligently worked with her for the rest of the study period.

Maddy was pleased with the progress that they had made on their project when the bell rang for their last class that she offered a smile and thanks to which he replied, "See you in detention."

Maddy groaned at the reminder and was surprised by his arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"Don't worry Smith. I'm sure it won't make you too late for your "special" dinner with Leek Boy," Jimi teased as Rhydian, who was walking in front of them talking to Tom about something, tensed visibly and looked backwards to see Jimi's satisfaction all over his face and Maddy annoyed one.

/

Maddy bounced her knee up and down waiting for detention to be over. Much to her chagrin, Jimi had muscled his way past Shannon and stole the remaining seat at Maddy's desk so that she was stuck with him for detention. Shannon gave her a sympathetic smile as she herself was forced to sit next to her nemesis as Sam found a way to wiggle out of his detention until Monday.

Maddy tried to finish her reading for English Lit, but found her head turning consistently out the window to the basketball court, where she knew Rhydian and Tom were playing as they waited for the two girls.

"Oi! Why do you keep looking out the window?" Jimi whispered to her as Mrs. Parish scowled, while grading science exams.

"Just lookin'," Maddy whispered as she shrugged and forced her head to go back to her reading.

"Looking for Leek Boy?" Jimi whispered back, Maddy catching the hint of annoyance in his voice.

"No. I just prefer to be outside," Maddy shot back quickly. Jimi looked like he was considering her words, when Mrs. Parish let them go and Maddy quickly leapt out of her seat, book and bag in hand and practically ran out of the classroom.

/

Once outside, Maddy leapt in front of the game of one-on-one that Rhydian and Tom were playing and stole the basketball to make it into the other hoop. Seamlessly, Rhydian and Tom teamed up against Maddy to try and steal the ball back.

"I'm so ready for the weekend," Shannon said walking over to them. Liam, Sam, and Jimi lagging behind her talking amongst themselves.

"Right! We should have a movie night! Anyone up for cheesy nachos?" Maddy agreed making another basket, which had Rhydian chasing her around the courtyard.

"I'm down," Tom agreed putting his arm around Shannon and shaking his head at Rhydian and Maddy's antics.

"How's Saturday?" Shannon asked everyone. Before Maddy could answer, Jimi, followed by Sam and Liam, interrupted, "I don't think you'll have any time on Saturday or Sunday for that matter. I plan on keeping you busy all weekend-"

Maddy stopped running around and her mouth hung open in shock at Jimi's insinuation, which was exactly the reaction he wanted by the smirk on his face. Everyone was tense and Maddy heard Rhydian's knuckled crack behind her. She didn't have to turn around to notice that he'd probably was trying to cover up his wolfblood veined hands.

"-Working on our project," Jimi finished his statement, to which the group all seemed to audibly relax.

"It's not going to take all weekend. Let's meet at Shannon's on Sunday afternoon," Maddy suggested to which, Tom, Shannon, and Rhydian agreed.

"Are we invited to this-" Jimi started in, but Maddy quickly interrupted him, "No. You're not."

Jimi stalked out of the courtyard, followed by Sam and Liam and Maddy quickly diffused the situation, by linking her arm through Shannon's, starting the walk towards town, where they would all go their separate ways home.

"I don't know about you, but I'm excited for Sunday night. We should watch something really scary," Maddy said.

"But not super scary. I don't want to have nightmares again," Shannon whined as Tom and Rhydian caught up to the two girls on either side.

"Oh no! It has to be scary Shannon! Last time you and Maddy made me watch that romantic comedy and I demand a manly scary film. Back me up on this Rhydian!" Tom demanded and he and Shannon continued to argue with each other the entire way into town.

/

Maddy and Rhydian separated from Tom and Shannon once they hit the center of town and continued walking towards Maddy's family home. Once they hit the woods, they shared a mischievous look before breaking into a run. They playfully ran through the forest together, sometimes racing and at other times yipping at each other. They continued until they reach the outskirts of Maddy's property and encountered her father who was just finishing the day's work in the field.

"Well don't you pups look happy? Good day at school?" Daniel asked wiping his hands on a clothe.

"Eh. Just glad it's over," Maddy shrugged before jumping on Rhydian's back playfully.

"Oi you two! Go get washed up! Supper will be ready soon," Emma called out from the doorway of the house.

After the family meal, Emma and Daniel spoke in quiet tones in the farthest part of the wolf den with Rhydian as Maddy was made to do the dishes, which she quickly sussed out was a tactic to prevent her pup ears from listening in.

Maddy quickly gave up on trying to listen in and was distracted by the vibrations of her mobile phone. Jimi's name flashed on her phone as it kept ringing. Maddy was tempted to ignore it, but sighed as she decided to do the right thing.

"Hello Jimi."

"Heya Mads. Listen I was wondering if we could change plans and study at yours tomorrow. My parents are renovating and I think it'll be too noisy for us to work on the project," Jimi said.

"Ya that's fine. Meet at my place around 10." Jimi groaned over the phone.

"So early in the morning? Couldn't we meet later?"

"Do you want finish this project or not?" Maddy shot back as she heard the sounds of her parents and Rhydian returning from the den.

"Fine. See you in the morning," Jimi grunted before he hung up the phone. Maddy rolled her eyes as she ended the call and returned to her dishes.

"Everything alright?" Daniel questioned her, as he poured more tea into his mug.

"Ya. Jimi wants to work on our project here instead tomorrow. His parents are renovating," Maddy explained.

"You going to be ok here alone tomorrow? Your father and I have to drive into the city for the farmer's market," Emma asked.

"Of course. It's just Jimi," Maddy shrugged off the question, not noticing the annoyed look on Rhydian's face.

"You know he likes you right?" Rhydian asked as Maddy snorted rinsing off a dish.

"The only person Jimi likes is the one he sees in the mirror everyday."

"Maddy I'm being serious. I don't think it's right you guys being alone. I could stay-" Maddy cut Rhydian off with a slam of a mug in the sink.

"I've known Jimi since we were infants. He's not a threat. I've known him longer than I've known you," Maddy fired back, which resulted in both hers and Rhydian's eyes flashing yellow.

"Alright you two. That's enough for tonight," Emma spoke, letting a thread of her Alpha go through her voice. Rhydian backed off, recognizing Emma's authority and his eyes returned back to their normal blue-green hue.

"Suit yourself," Rhydian spat off before leaving the Smith's house.

"Well you could've handled that better," Daniel commented to Maddy, who just sulked as she returned to her dishes. Looking out from the window Maddy watched Rhydian's slowly retreating back and she hated to admit it, but she agreed with her father.

/

All during the following day, Maddy cursed herself a thousand times over for not taking Rhydian up on his offer to come over. Jimi was insufferable the entire day and she found herself praising every god and goddess in the heavens once they'd finally finished the project.

"Thank the gods that's done," Maddy proclaimed as she stretched from her chair at the kitchen table.

"We're definitely going to get a good mark on this project," Jimi commented as he started to put away all his things and Maddy nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to grab dinner at Bernie's with me?" Jimi asked surprising Maddy.

"What? Now?" Jimi nodded.

"I feel like we deserve to treat ourselves after all this work we put in," Jimi said as Maddy considered his words. Her stomach growled loudly in the silence of the room.

"I guess a burger couldn't hurt," Maddy agreed.

/

An hour later, found Maddy and Jimi eating at Bernie's and being joined by Shannon and Liam, who'd been camped out at Bernie's all day working on their project, which according to Shannon was going to be a complete and utter disaster.

"What is your obsession with pickles Liam? And they weren't invented in Wales!" Shannon and Liam continued their argument over their own burgers.

"I'm glad for once that Liam's not my partner," Jimi said leaning into to whisper Maddy's ear. His breath tickled her ear making her slightly smile. She turned her head and whispered back.

"Don't fancy doing a project on the Welsh discovery of pickles and watching Jefferies hand you both your arses?"

Maddy and Jimi shared a muffled giggle, when movement near the doorway of Bernie's caught her eye. Rhydian and Tom stood in the doorway.

Tom quickly walked to the counter placing his order, but Rhydian took a moment to look between Maddy and Jimi, the latter having not realized that Rhydian had entered the premises.

"How's everyone's projects coming so far?" Tom asked after ordering his food and walking over to the table.

"I'm so glad you asked, because you see it turns out that pickles-" Shannon cut off Liam's answer by gritting through her teeth, "Don't even think about it Liam. We are not doing a project on bloody pickles."

Properly chastised Liam shut his mouth, wisely and sensing his friend needed a lifeline, Jimi started a conversation with Liam and Tom about football.

Rhydian joined the table after placing his order, sitting across from Maddy and to her surprise Jimi for once made no comment.

The conversation changed as the meal continued to the subject of current politics and eventually onto wolfbloods. Surprisingly Liam was as curious and interested in the subject of wolfbloods as Shannon and the two continued to debate with some interjections from Jimi. Maddy felt her wolfblood start to run think and she focused on her breathing to make sure to keep herself in control. Maddy glanced up and saw that Rhydian was not sharing her lack of control and was cooly regarding the debate going on at the table.

"I just don't understand why everyone is so afraid of the idea of wolfbloods. They've honestly been existing for as long as humans and they're not interested in world domination. What's the big deal?" Liam said.

"Are you daft? If there's nothing to be afraid of, then why have they been in hiding this whole time?" Jimi questioned and subtly rested his arm along the back of Maddy's chair, earning himself a blue-eyed glare from Rhydian.

"They could have the cure for cancer in their blood. Their abilities to heal and all the other things that we don't even know about them could be the cure to so many medical problems. The potential is unlimited," Shannon said with her natural excitement.

"Think of how they could be weaponized and used in battle. No one would want to come up against a wolfblood," Liam jumped in and Maddy saw Rhydian tense for the first time since the conversation started.

"Ya cause that's what the world needs more of, weapons to kill each other with," Maddy scoffed.

"Don't tell me you're actually siding with these wolfbloods," Jimi accused.

"No. I'm not siding with anyone. I'm just saying we don't need anymore reasons for people to kill each other," Maddy rebutted.

"But that's the thing. Wolfbloods aren't people. So why does it matter?" Liam said and the entire table stilled, even Jimi. After that everyone made their excuses to wrap up for the evening.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Jimi offered as they all walked outside of Bernie's. Rhydian had already headed back home for curfew and Maddy liked the idea of some time to herself.

"No thanks. I can make it on me own," Maddy declined before waving goodbye and starting the four mile hike home.

/

Unexpectedly Rhydian never showed for movie night on Sunday night and responded only to Tom's text messages saying he wasn't up to it.

As the night went on, Maddy found herself thinking of Rhydian and how distant he'd become since she'd been assigned Jimi as a partner for the project. She listened to the dark voice inside her that gleefully celebrated that perhaps this meant the betrothal would be off and Rhydian would go back into the wild, leaving her alone.

/

The next day, found Maddy and Jimi making their presentation first and earning an A, much to her relief and Jimi's celebration. They'd just finished when Rhydian came into class looking, with a dark mood and darker look on his face to match it.

"Ah Mr. Morris. Thank you for finally dain us with your presence. You've just missed Maddy and Jimi's A-plus presentation. Take your seat, please," Jefferies snarked as he picked up the class roster to change Rhydian's absence to a tardy.

"Wonder why Leek Boy was so late," Jimi whispered to Maddy as they picked up their things.

"Just when I was thinking you're not so bad you go and ruin it by making fun of one of my friends," Maddy whispered back. Jimi gave her a jaunty smirk in return.

"Last time I checked, Leek Boy wasn't acting very much like a friend to you and your gang of misfits."

Maddy rolled her eyes, ignoring the comment even though she felt a heavy stone settle in her stomach at his words. Jimi walked behind her back to their seats across the aisle from each other.

As they waited for the next group to get their presentation ready, Jimi leaned over and whispered in Maddy's direction, "You're not so bad to work with either."

Maddy rolled her eyes again, but a smile lingered on her lips.

As the next group began their presentation, a note found it's way in front of Maddy. Moving it under the desk Maddy read, _We need to talk. Go for a run?_

Maddy knew that the note was from Rhydian and glanced up to find him staring at her waiting for an answer. She nodded her head in acceptance and tried not to let the excitement bubbling in her stomach to overflow.

/

During their morning break, without speaking Maddy and Rhydian broke out into a run into the woods surrounding the school, leaving behind the shocked face of Jimi at their behavior and the bemused expressions of Shannon and Tom who knew how much Maddy and now Rhydian loved to run in the woods.

For half of the break they ran around the woods, whooping and chasing each other around, getting all the nervous energy out of their system, before finally settling down beside a tree to gaze up at the sky. Rhydian was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry I've been such a pain this week. I think the wolf has been controlling me more since we're so close to the full moon," Rhydian apologized.

Maddy knew from what her parents spoke of wolfblood nature that the wolf was particularly strong inside of them the closer the full moon came. A battle she herself would find herself fighting once she'd had her first turn.

"I get it. As much as I can."

"It's not easy. Watching you with Jimi. Being constantly reminded that we aren't going to have normal life and a lot of our life has already been decided for us," Rhydian continued.

"Jimi's not a threat Rhydian. I've known him all me life. He's just a classmate," Maddy said quietly even though she knew she wasn't being completely honest about Jimi's changed actions of late.

"You're right he's not a threat. He's not a wolfblood," Rhydian agreed.

"Let's just move on ya? Life's too short to brood this much all the time," Maddy said before standing up and brushing the leaves off her uniform and out of her hair.

"Race you back," Maddy exclaimed, before pushing Rhydian into a soft pile of leaves face first and running off back to the school. Maddy giggled as she heard him curse lowly before getting up and running after her.

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Please continue to do so, let me know what you think and if I should continue.**


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